23.4.9.12

I am Panthera Leo Felidae
Trapped in a cage
Is there a worse transgression
Than seeing the king of the jungle
Tame, lazy and humble
The eyes lack fire, the teeth have dulled
Panthera Leo as intense as a mouse
The King
Poor lion, poor me
Devoid of ambition
Robbed of all hope
Unable to be the me
I was created to be
Because desire is lost

I am the mighty river
Contained in a reservoir
Man’s attempt to harness my energy
My natural rage
has become A subtle current
My intuitive way
Of finding a way
Over, under or around
Has been stripped away
And now I lay placid
The flow of water without power
Reflections of stolen desire

I am tener niger vir
Living in America
Stolen from my ancestral home
In a constant struggle
To be acknowledged as equal
My environment is flooded
With lack
Lack of healthy foods
Lack of good schools
Lack of support
So I become
The caged lion when freed
I am the water when the damn burst
I refuse to be
Broken and mad
Or mad broke
I will not be subject
To lost desire
So I rage and consume
Fighting to avoid becoming
The lion in the cage
The river behind the damn
My desire is not lost
My desire for acceptance
Has been replaced
By my desire
To survive